The Devil's Music: A History of the Blues

by Giles Oakley

Book Overview

Superbly researched and vividly written, The Devil's Music is one of the only books to trace the rise and development of the blues both in relation to other forms of black music and in the context of American social history as experienced by African Americans. From its roots in the turn-of-the-century honky-tonks of New Orleans and the barrelhouses and plantations of the Mississippi Delta to modern legends such as John Lee Hooker and B. B. King, the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0306807432
• ISBN13: 9780306807435
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.11 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Blues You Can Use

For anyone interested in a learning more about the blues, including it's history, different styles and most important musicians, this book is an excellent choice. It traces the music from it's roots in work songs, gospel and tent shows through the country blues of the South and the electric blues of Chicago on to the modern era. The writer clearly has great admiration for this music, not only for it's creative spirit but as a reflection of the black experience in America and the struggle of so many folks to survive bigotry and economic injustice. Top notch blues perfomers like Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters are covered as well as lesser known but still influential talents such as Gus Cannon and Henry Thomas. Written in 1976, Oakley's comments on the contemporary blues scene can sometimes sound dated. But an excellent afterword, written in the late 90's, bring it somewhat more up to date. If you want to know more about the blues then this book is a great place to start.

Highly eductional; great for the early blues

Very comprehensive; from Slavery era through the 60s, provides a long list of the men and women who created the blues and the following generations that assimilated and popularized them. Discusses the social, economic and political forces that influenced them as well. Good educational read. Pretty much ends at the Muddy Waters/BB King heyday of the 60s. If you're looking more for the modern blues (the Alberts, Buddy Guy, Clapton, Hendrix, SRV even) then this one is not for you. However, if you want to know about the guys (and gals) from whom the modern-era bluesmen learned their chops, this is your book.